The whole world stopped

Epilogue

We have reached the epilogue !

Huge thanks to all of you who stuck with me till the end and those who sent me wonderful comments with their feedback 🫰🏼

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Two Years Later

– Offroad –

I didn't realize where we were headed until we pulled up to the familiar park. My breath caught as I recognized the spot, the place where we had our first date. It had been two years since that afternoon picnic, but the memories felt as fresh as if they had happened yesterday.

I glanced over at Daou, his usual overexcited puppy-like grin spread across his face. "You remember this place, right?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Of course, I do." I smiled, my heart thumping a little harder than usual. This wasn't just any spot.

We walked towards the same tree we sat under two years ago. Spread out in front of us was another picnic blanket, almost identical to the one from that day.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" I laughed softly, still trying to process why we were here.

Daou didn't respond immediately. He just sat us both down, unpacking a basket with a familiar level of excitement. It was only then that I noticed that his hands were trembling a little. My brow furrowed, suddenly feeling like something was different. Something big.

We ate a little, talked a lot, and reminisced about that first date and how perfectly it had ended. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was building.

He got up, and placed his phone on a tripod that he pulled out of nowhere and sat back down next to me with his guitar.

"How about a little song?" He said, not looking at me, his voice dripping with nervousness. He took a deep breath and started singing "Thinking out loud" by Ed Sheeran.

"People fall in love in mysterious ways,

Maybe just the touch of a hand"

I smiled, remembering our first encounter.

"Oh baby, we found love right where we are and we found love right where we are" He finished softly, put down his guitar, stood up and pulled me to my feet.

He pulled out a small box and lowered himself onto one knee. My heart raced as I realized where this was going. My breath hitched, my eyes stinging with unshed tears.

"Road," he said, looking up at me with a tenderness that made my chest ache, "I don't want another day to go by without making sure the whole world knows how much I love you. Will you marry me?"

For a moment, all I could do was stare. My mind replayed every memory of us—every quiet moment, every laugh, every kiss. The man kneeling in front of me wasn't just the overexcited puppy I had fallen in love with; he was my home, my forever.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Yes, I'll marry you."

He slid the ring onto my finger, his hand steady despite the emotion in his eyes. As he stood, I pulled him into the tightest hug I could muster, our laughter and tears mingling as we held each other under the same tree where it all began.

Later that night, back at our condo, we sat on the couch, still buzzing from the day's events. Daou's head rested on my shoulder as I scrolled through my phone, the engagement ring on my finger still feeling surreal.

"Ready?" Daou asked, sitting up slightly.

I nodded. It was time.

We both opened our social media accounts. A shared post, a single image of the two of us under that tree, Daou on one knee, me with the biggest smile on my face. The caption was simple but said everything we needed it to:

"Forever & always"

Within minutes, the notifications blew up. Comments of congratulations, heart emojis, and celebratory messages flooded in. But what mattered most was that, after two years of keeping our relationship private, we were finally sharing our truth with the world.

"Hi fiancé," I said aloud, grinning as I looked at Daou.

"Hi fiancé," he echoed, pressing a kiss to my temple.

As we sat there together, the rest of the world faded away. It was just us, exactly as it had been that first day, and exactly as it would be for the rest of our lives.

——

Kisses 🫶🏼

See you soon .. for another story 🫢